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Print version ISSN 1806-6445

Sur, Rev. int. direitos human. vol.3 no.5 São Paulo Dec. 2006

http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1806-64452006000200001

Presentation

This fifth issue of Sur - International Journal
on Human Rights examines a broad spectrum of issues. First, two international
human rights protection bodies are studied: (i) the recently created UN Human
Rights Council and the main obstacles it faces (Duran), and (ii) the International
Criminal Court, or more specifically the role of the frequently neglected parties
in criminal cases - the victims - in this Court (González). Indigenous
issues are tackled once again, this time focusing specifically on the protection
of the right to cultural identity in the Inter-American System (Chiriboga).
Another paper makes a critical analysis of post-conflict justice in Sub-Saharan
Africa, questioning the models imposed by foreign nations (Bosire). Finally,
three topics are addressed relating to human security: (i) democratic policing
in the Commonwealth Pacific (Prasad), (ii) the democratization of public security
in Brazil (Cano), and (iii) the impact of the Bush administration on the international
doctrine of states sovereignty (Farer).

Created in 2004 to promote debate on human rights
and dialogue across the southern hemisphere among activists, professors and
staff of government agencies, Sur - International Journal on Human Rights is
published by Sur - Human Rights University Network, an initiative of Conectas
Human Rights (a Brazil-based international non-governmental organization).

Besides being available online at www.surjournal.org,
approximately 12,000 copies of the journal have been printed between 2004 and
2006 and distributed free of charge in three languages - Portuguese, Spanish
and English - in over 100 countries. The critical debate has, therefore, already
enjoyed an encouraging start. Aiming to move away from a homogeneous view of
human rights in the global south, the journal addresses issues that reflect
the diversity of the conflicts and challenges related to the protection of human
rights in the Southern Hemisphere nations. This diversity of the debate stems
from the diversity of the geographical, historical and cultural context in which
these rights are (or are not) upheld.

Our intention is to continue to broaden this
debate. As an illustration, of the approximately 100 countries that receive
the journal, the following have already submitted contributions in the form
of articles: South Africa, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ecuador,
United States, Hungary, India, Mexico, Namibia, Nigeria, Kenya and United Kingdom.
We have also received contributions from the staff of intergovernmental agencies,
such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States. In order
to elicit responses to the calls for papers already submitted, and to develop
an even richer dialogue, we hope to receive articles primarily from all the
nations where the journal is read. Therefore, we are calling for contributions
particularly from the following countries that are still missing: Albania, Algeria,
Angola, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia,
Congo, Denmark, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Philippines, Finland, France, Gambia,
Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Kyrgyzstan,
Laos, Liberia, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Montenegro, Morocco,
Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Netherlands, Palestine, Panama, Pakistan, Paraguay,
Peru, Poland, Porto Rico, Portugal, Dominican Republic, Romania, Russia, Rwanda,
Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand,
Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela,
Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.